Its president, Dr. Justus Rosenberg, made the announcement. Rosenberg is Emeritus Professor of Languages and Literature at Bard College, and the last surviving member of the Emergency Rescue Committee (also know as the Varian Fry group), which rescued some 200 artists and intellectuals from the Nazis in France during World War II. Rosenberg said, “I welcome Ken to our Foundation. Given his quarter century as one of the leading experts on antisemitism and hatred of all types, Ken is the right person to direct our Foundation as it embarks on a mission to combat antisemitism and the delegitimization of Israel, with a special focus on students and other young people.”

Rosenberg, who had Stern as a student at Bard in the 1970s, was impressed with Stern’s thoughtful and careful approach to antisemitism, evidenced in his many publications, his testimony before government bodies, and in the innovative and impactful programs and projects Stern had designed. Stern, he stressed, had also taught at the college level, was the lead drafter of a definition of antisemitism now used by the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, and was a member of the successful defense team in the historic London Holocaust denial trial of David Irving vs. Deborah Lipstadt. Stern was most recently director on antisemitism and extremism for the American Jewish Committee.

Stern said, “It is an absolute honor to be working with Justus and Karin Rosenberg, and to help them make their foundation’s vision a reality. Justus is a true ‘profile in courage’ – he helped rescue people from antisemitism during the Nazi era, has spent nearly sixty years inspiring generations of students, and now has a burning desire to take on a new and ambitious project that will impact future generations as well.”

The Foundation will also seek ways to connect young Jews with their heritage, and will achieve its goals not only through grants, but also by providing direct technical assistance to and partnering with other non-profit groups on programs and projects.

The Justus and Karin Rosenberg Foundation supports – through gifts and direct engagement of the Rosenberg Foundation staff – efforts to combat antisemitism and anti-Israel activity on campus, antisemitic hate crimes, Holocaust denial, antisemitic discourse, state-sponsored antisemitism, and other issues that have a direct impact on the growth of antisemitism. Special attention is given to projects (either initiated by the Foundation or others) that impact high school and college age students, including projects that help connect Jewish students with their heritage. Whether as a financial resource, a source of expertise, a catalyst, a hands-on partner, or a connective agent, our goal is to increase the effectiveness of programs already in existence, and to imagine and construct new programs that are needed in our areas of interest.